"There's no heating," Celeste clarified.
"What are we going to do?" Sandy asked with alarm.
"Put on some warm clothes," Celeste suggested, "Momma Lois is making some calls now."
Once Sandy had finished wrapping up the hair in the newspaper, she went to her room and put on a sweater. Then she put away the dustpan and the hand brush. She brought the newspaper down to the kitchen and threw it into the trash.
Celeste was there, already in a jacket, with the zip up to her neck. The older girl was pulling a sweater over Petra, who was seated on a high chair. Then Celeste went over to the stove and kept watch over the cooking that Momma Lois had left.
A moment later, Momma Lois entered the kitchen with a portable handset in her hand. "Girls, heater won't be fixed until Monday," the middle-aged woman reported.
"What!?" Sandy exclaimed.
(That was starting to become the 'word of the day'.)
A small television sat on a shelf mounted on the wall directly opposite the stove. At that very moment, it was tuned to the weather report. Everyone's eyes turned to the broadcast, even little Petra. The first thing that was reported was the night's expected weather.
The weather girl cheerfully reported that it would be cold, very cold indeed. Cold enough to freeze water. And probably encase Sandy in ice.
"We're going to freeze!" Sandy wailed in panic.
"Now calm down, child," Momma Lois told her short-haired charge firmly, "That won't happen."
"But Momma, we've no heating!" Sandy cried on.
"Take a deep breath, child!" Momma Lois commanded firmly.
Sandy took a deep breath as instructed.
"I'm going to make some calls. Sandy, watch Petra. Celeste, you have to finish our dinner." Momma Lois gave detailed instructions on cooking to the older girl.
The middle-aged woman then left, closing the kitchen door behind her. Celeste worked on their dinner. Petra watched the sports report on the television. It should be noted that she paid close attention to the highlights on football.
There was not anything that Sandy needed to do to entertain the toddler. So she pulled up a chair beside Petra and watched with her.
There was heat from the stove, but it only warmed the kitchen, not the rest of the house. Certainly they were not going to sleep in the kitchen, were they? Why did Sandy have to suffer the cold? Would she freeze?
Petra seemed unconcerned about their situation. The toddler was happy with watching the television. She banged her rattle with glee against the high chair's tray whenever she saw something exciting. Truly, she was an adorable little girl with no care in the world, with no worry about the impending cold.
"Sandy," Celeste called, "please set the plates."
The short-haired girl looked up. "Oh, okay."
At least dinner looked good. There were rolls in the oven and Momma Lois's chicken stew and a pot of tea on the stove. And not to forget, the boring boiled vegetables.
Momma Lois returned to the kitchen. "It's done."
"They'll fix the heater?" Sandy asked hopefully.
"I've the problem solved," Momma Lois replied evasively as she went to check on Celeste's cooking. "Let's eat while we wait."
Dinner passed quietly as they ate while watching the television. But the meal was soon over and the dishes were soon done.
The girls sat around the kitchen table with tea and donated cakes. There was a documentary on the television, one about ancient civilizations. Sandy was immediately bored. Delicious sugar from the cakes failed to please her that night, not when she was worried about turning into an ice lolly. And she would taste sweet too, from all the cakes she had eaten.
"There's nothing to do," Sandy complained.
"You can do your homework," Momma Lois suggested.
"It's too cold to think," Sandy said. It was still warm in the kitchen but she definitely did not want to venture out into the cold and fetch her homework from her room. And she definitely did not want to suffer the tedium of doing her homework.
"Sandy, why can't you be like the others and do your homework without being asked?"
"You know I can't do my homework without being asked, Momma."
Momma Lois sighed. "You're already in high school, child."
They watched television in silence for a few more minutes. Celeste started playing with Petra. It was obvious that the pair had also found the documentary boring.
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